Travel, write, and eat with Jordan

Hello friends! Thanks to those of you who have been following along. I’m currently on the 3rd leg of the trip, two nights in Munich.

I spent the last two nights in Salzburg,Austria and I had a great time. A much smaller city than the others on this trip, but still a lot that fit the themes of food, history and relaxation.

I took the train in from Budapest, and it took about 5 hours. One thing I’ve noticed on this trip is that taking trains in between each city has been much simple and less stressful than my trip last year, where I flew between each city.

Besides the fact you don’t have to go through airports multiple times, the trains will typically go from city center to city center, which is much more convenient.

Once I got to my hotel in the middle of Salzburg I was immediately hit by its charm. People have described it to me as being in a fairy tale, and I immediately understood why

From the river sweeping through the city, the palaces, the fortress atop the hill, the cobblestone streets in the old town, and the view of the alps, it is hard to be more scenic than this small Austrian city.

My first meal was a nice veal sausage from Die Weisse. I honestly only picked it because I was hungry and it was near my hotel,  but it really hit the spot and kept me full until dinner.

For dinnertime,  I made my way over to one of the more popular and historical spots, Barenwirt, which dates back to 1663. I ordered the classic veal schnitzel, which is everything I had hoped it would be.

After that it was back to the hotel to rest for an active following day.

After breakfast, I made my way up to Hohensalzburg Fortress. This was the main attraction that I wanted to see here. Goes with my recent themes of anything involving sieges, castles, and medieval warfare.

The fortress is located high atop a hill (to defend against sieges naturally), but there is a tram that can take a large group of people up there in seconds.

The views are spectacular and at the top I couldn’t help but look down and imagine how it might feel to see the banners of invading forces being carried by thousands of troops.

The fortress always contains a few museums, which I made my through. I was particularly interested in the suits of armor and weaponry from the medieval era.

After I went through the museums, I decided to walk down the hill instead of taking the tram so I could get my steps in. Parts of the path were actually pretty steep and it wasnt hard to lose your footing, so if you do this make sure you wear good shoes.

I had worked up an appetite at this point and went searching for a spot for late lunch. I usually do research on where I want to eat, but on this day I decided I would walk around the old town and pick somewhere that looked good. In particular,  I wanted to find somewhere where I could sit outside since it was very nice out (a little over 6p degrees and sunny!)

I ended up at Restaurant Zum Eulenspiegel, where I opted to take a break from all the red meat and potatoes I’d been eating and ordered a fish dish. The had something called char, which ended up being like a mix between salmon and trout. It was delicious and a nice surprise.

For coffee and dessert, I went to Cafe Tomaselli, a popular spot dating back 150 years. I ordered a mocha flavored with cherry brandy and a truffletorte cake. The coffee was good but I wish I went with the apple strudel for my pastry. I also had a funny moment where another tourist expressed surprise in German that I had an Union Berlin hat on. When he switched to English I explained it was my team because I went to one game in Berlin, I ended up having a nice little chat with him and his wife.

For dinner,  I was able to snag a reservation at Restaurant Jakob’s Esskultur, a very homey feeling bistro popular with locals and tourists alike. I ordered a beef tartare to start, which was good but not the best I’d had on this trip so far. That honor still goes to Meat Heaven in Budapest.

For my entree, I went with fish and got a cod in a cauliflower sauce. It may have been one of the best meals I’ve had on this trip. Just wow.

For dessert,  I ordered a plate that included pastry, lemon cream, and cherry ice cream.  It seriously made rethink how I felt about lemon desserts because previously I hadn’t been a fan.

Amazing restaurant and great hospitality from everyone there.

Overall, Salzburg was absolutely worth the visit and two nights was the right amount of time for me. If you’re into Mozart or “The Sound of Music”, you might spend more time there as the city is associated with (and has many sites and events) associated with both. Mozart was born in Salzburg and “The Sound of Music” takes place there.

More writing after Munich.  In the meantime,  here’s a photo dump.